Resident permit · DE → PA
Is a Delaware Resident Permit Valid in Pennsylvania?
No. In Pennsylvania your License to Carry a Concealed Deadly Weapon (CCDW) counts for nothing, and the state has no permitless carry for visitors. You would need a Pennsylvania permit, which it does issue to non-residents, to carry there.
Why
- Delaware is not on Pennsylvania's official reciprocity list.
AG rule: where Pennsylvania grants reciprocity, ONLY individuals who are both residents of the issuing state AND 21 or older may carry in Pennsylvania — non-resident permits are never recognized. Several states are recognized only for specific license classes (see overrides). Virginia became the 30th recognized state in Feb 2026. Not recognized: CA, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, MN, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, SC, VT, WA.
The permit (Delaware)
- Permit
- License to Carry a Concealed Deadly Weapon (CCDW)
- Issued by
- Superior Court of the applicant's county of residence (application filed with the Prothonotary; Delaware DOJ reviews)
- Issue policy
- May-issue
The destination (Pennsylvania)
- Recognition policy
- Honors a named list of 30 states
- Permitless carry
- No
- Duty to inform
- No (present permit on demand)
- Magazine limit
- No state limit
Carry rules in Pennsylvania
Crossing into Pennsylvania swaps the rulebook. Here is what changes for a visiting carrier.
- No Pennsylvania statute requires a carrier to proactively inform police; carry the license and produce it on lawful demand.
- Pennsylvania sets no state magazine-capacity limit for handguns.
- Pennsylvania is not a permitless-carry state: concealed carry there requires a permit Pennsylvania recognizes.
- Carrying a firearm in any vehicle, loaded or unloaded, requires a valid LTCF or a recognized reciprocal license (18 Pa.C.S. § 6106).
Off-limits places in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania bans carry in 3 kinds of places. The first on the list:
- Court facilities (18 Pa.C.S. § 913)
- Elementary and secondary school buildings, grounds and buses (18 Pa.C.S. § 912; statutory 'other lawful purpose' defense)
Delaware vs Pennsylvania: what changes at the state line
Crossing from Delaware into Pennsylvania changes 2 rules: magazine limit (17 rounds → None); out-of-state permits honored (21 states → 30 states).
| Rule | Delaware | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Permitless carry | No | No |
| Duty to inform police | No | No |
| Magazine limit | 17 rounds | None |
| Out-of-state permits honored | 21 states | 30 states |
| Open carry | Yes, no permit | Yes, no permit |
Going the other way, a Pennsylvania resident permit in Delaware: not recognized.
Driving on from Pennsylvania
How a Delaware resident permit fares in the states bordering Pennsylvania:
- Maryland — Not recognized
- New Jersey — Not recognized
- New York — Not recognized
- Ohio — Recognized — and permitless carry applies
- West Virginia — Recognized — and permitless carry applies
Frequently asked questions
- Does Pennsylvania honor a Delaware non-resident permit?
- Delaware does not issue non-resident carry permits (no standard non-resident license. The Attorney General may issue a temporary 30-day license to a non-resident with a short-term, employment-related need to carry (11 Del. C. 1441(k); maximum 3 such licenses)), so the question does not arise.
- Can a Pennsylvania resident permit holder carry in Delaware?
- Not recognized. Reciprocity is decided by the destination state, so the answer in this direction depends on Delaware's law, not Pennsylvania's.
- Where does Pennsylvania publish its official reciprocity list?
- Pennsylvania publishes its recognition policy on an official state page, linked in the sources on this page. That page is the authority — check it shortly before travel, because recognition lists change without much notice.
Official sources
- PA Office of Attorney General — Concealed Carry Reciprocity (per-state map data) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Pennsylvania State Police — Carrying Firearms in Pennsylvania — accessed 2026-08-08
- PA OAG press release — Virginia becomes 30th reciprocity state — accessed 2026-08-08
- Chester County Sheriff — PA License to Carry Firearms Information — accessed 2026-09-27
- Centre County Sheriff — License to Carry Firearms — accessed 2026-09-27
- City of Philadelphia — Application for a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearm — accessed 2026-09-27
- Delaware DOJ (Attorney General) - Concealed Carry Deadly Weapons (CCDW) and reciprocity list — accessed 2026-08-08
- 11 Del. C. c.5 subch. VII - 1441 (license), 1442 (carrying concealed), 1457/1457A (safe zones), 1468-1469 (large-capacity magazines) — accessed 2026-08-08
- 1 Del. C. 701 - Age of majority (definition of 'full age' = 18) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Delaware Superior Court — Weapons (CCDW) application rules and instructions — accessed 2026-09-27
- Delaware Supreme Court docket — Brooks v. State, Appellant's Opening Brief (open-carry discussion, cites Doe v. Wilmington Hous. Auth. and Griffin v. State) — accessed 2026-09-27